Floor drain stopper

ABSTRACT

A stopper to prevent water from backing up through a floor drain having a concave brace the ends of which fit under lips on the inner, top sides of the drain bowl, a stem threaded through the middle of the brace and a pivoted plate connected to the lower end of the stem to cover the drain bowl outlet.

United States Patent [191 Van Steenburg 1 1 Jan. 7, 1975 FLOOR DRAIN STOPPER 2,078,003 4/1937 Klein 138/89 [76] Inventor: Arthur Van Steenburg, Rt. 3, Spirit FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Lake, Iowa 51350 l,264,570 5/l96l France I l38/89 [22] Filed: Oct. 12, 1973 Primary Exammer-James .I. Gill PP 406,004 Assistant Examiner-Anthony V. Ciarlante 52 11.8. CI. 138/89 [571 ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl. F161 55/10 A pp to pr en w er fr m acking up through a [58] Field of Search 138/89 floor in h ing a nca bra e the ends of which fit under lips on the inner, top sides of the drain bowl, [56] R feren Cit d a stem threaded through the middle of the brace and a UNITED STATES PATENTS pivoted plate connected to the lower end of the stem 380,082 4/1888 Boyd et a1 138/89 to cover the dram bow] Outlet 590,584 9/1897 McKeone 138/89 3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures FLOOR DRAIN STOPPER This invention relates to floor drains and has to do particularly with a stopper or valve to prevent water from the sewer backing up in the drain.

It is customary in lower floors of buildings to provide a drain in the floor for conducting water or other liquids to the sewer. Frequently, water collects in basements as a result of washing the floor or of seepage through the walls. The floor is usually built at a slope to allow the water to flow by gravity to the drain. The common drain consists of a cover plate having a plurality of holes to strain out solids and to allow the water to flow through to a bowl which is attached at the bottom to a sewer line. Such drains work satisfactorily for floors which are relatively high with relation to the main sewer line. In some cases, however, the sewer line may become overloaded or blocked causing water to back up in the line to such an extent that the floor becomes flooded.

Heretofore, various means have been used to prevent back up water from the sewer line but these have often been unduly expensive or have certain disadvantages which make their safety and dependability uncertain. For example, a gate valve has been attached to the drain line, but such a valve is costly, stands up from the floor making it dangerous to trip over and has to be opened before the drain can be used for normal purposes. Also, back water valves have been inserted in the pipe below the drain bowl. One such valve is a ball type mechanism which is forced by the back up water against the under side of the bowl to close the bowl opening. Also, a plug with a stem for inserting and removing has been forced into the drain pipe to close the pipe. Such back up water valves or plugs are not always dependable as solids may lodge between them and the pipe so that they do not seat properly or they become loose whereby their usefulness is impaired.

An object of the invention is to provide a stopper for a drain which is cheap and dependable and positive in action.

Another object is to provide a stopper means which is safe and easy to install and remove.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and from the accompanying drawings which illustrate one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the stopper.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the drain with the cover removed and the stopper in place.

FIG. 3 is a top view showing how the drain looks after the stopper is installed and the cover in place.

Referring to FIG. 1, the stopper comprises a horizontal bar or strap 4 having a middle portion 5 forming the major length of the bar. Toward the end portions, the bar is turned upward at 6 to form flat ends 7 lying in a plane substantially parallel with the plane of the flat portion 5. The ends 7 contain holes 8 to receive threaded screws or bolts 9 for fastening the bar in place. The middle portion 5 is provided with a hole 10 for screwing the bolt 12 therein. The upper end of the bolt 12 is secured to a handle 13 for turning the bolt. The lower end of the bolt 12 is provided with a flat, circular stopping plate 14 for fitting over the drain hole at the bottom of the bowl of the drain. The bolt 12 is secured to the stopping plate 14 by a riveted plate 15. The lower end of the bolt extends through the plate 15 but preferable not entirely through the plate 14. The

bolt 12 is larger at the end than the hole in the plate 15 to prevent the bolt from pulling out, and the bolt has sufficient play in the hole to allow a swivel or pivot action to facilitate seating of the plate 14 on the bowl opening. A layer of padding material 16, which is pliable enough to conform tightly to the periphery of the bowl, is secured by an adhesive or other suitable means to the under side of the plate 14. When the bolt 12 is screwed down through the bar 4, the stopper plate 14 is forced down tightly on the hole to seal it against back up water.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, an ordinary drain usually comprises a drain bowl 18, drain pipe 19 and cover plate 20. The cover plate contains a plurality of holes to allow the water to pass therethrough to the bowl. In FIG. 2, the stopper is shown installed in the bowl 18. The flat ends 7 of the bar 4 fit under the lips 23 so that the holes in both the bar and lips coincide to receive the bolts 9, the bolts and the holes normally being threaded. FIG. 3 shows the appearance of the drain from the top after the cover is placed over the bowl with the stopper installed as indicated in FIG. 2.

In practicing the invention, the cover plate is removed from the drain and the stopper inserted with the plate 14 centered over the drain pipe opening at the bottom of the bowl. The edges of the opening should be ground smooth with well known devices for such purposes, the proper seating of the stopper plate 14 being thereby assured. The flat ends of the bar 4 are placed under the lips 23 so that the holes are in alignment, and the bolts 9 are installed. The stopper is then tightened by screwing down the bolt 12, the flat ends 7 being forced upwardly against the lips 23 and the plate 14 downwardly against the drain opening. The cover is then placed over the bowl 18.

For purposes of further illustrating the invention, an example will be given of a stopper which has been used in a floor drain having a 2 inch outlet pipe, a 6 /4 inch diameter bowl, a 6 /8 inch diameter cover plate and two 1 inch lips on opposite sides of the bowl. The bar 4 is approximately 6 inches long from tip to tip of the flat ends 7, and is about 1 inch wide and Vs inch thick. The flat middle portion 5 is about 4 inches long. The vertical distance between the flat ends 7 and the parallel bar 5 is about inch. The handle 13 is about 2 15 inches long, 5 inch wide and V8 inch thick. The bolt 12 is about 3 inches long and inch in diameter. The circular plate 14 is about 3 inches in diameter and 5 inch thick. The circular plate 15 is about 1 5% inches in diameter and is riveted to the plate 14. The stopper is made of galvanized iron. The padding material 16 is vulcanized rubber composition but other materials having similar properties may be used. The bolts 9 are inch long and have 74-24 threads.

The stopper may be made of metals other than iron; for example, stainless steel or brass. The bolts 9 may be screwed in from the top or the bottom of the lips 23. The cover plate 20 is normally heavy enough to stay in place, but if it is desired to fasten it down the bolts 9 may be inserted from the top through holes in the plate.

Many variations may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit of the invention, and all such variations and modifications are considered as coming within the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A stopper for use in combination with a floor drain to prevent liquids from backing up in the drain from the sewer line, said drain containing a bowl connected at the bottom to a drain pipe, a perforated cover plate and lips with threaded holes on opposite top edges of the bowl, said stopper having a flat, metal bar containing a straight middle portion having a threaded hole at approximately the center thereof and end portions bent upwardly and outwardly and containing holes to align with the holes in the lips to receive fastening bolts in order to lay in a plane above and substantially paralell with said middle portion and to brace under said lips; a stopping means containing a multiple layer, circular plate to fit over the drain pipe opening; and a bolt threaded into said hole in the middle portion of the bar and pivotally connected to said stopping means to force the stopping means downwardly over the drain pipe opening and to force the ends of the bar upwardly against said lips.

2. A device as described in claim 1 in which said multiple layer, circular plate contains a bottom layer of pliable material to form a seal against the drain pipe opening, a rigid middle layer and a top metal layer of smaller diameter than the middle layer.

3. A device as described in claim 2 in which the bolt at one end is pivotally anchored between the top and middle layers of said plate. 

1. A stopper for use in combination with a floor drain to prevent liquids from backing up in the drain from the sewer line, said drain containing a bowl connected at the bottom to a drain pipe, a perforated cover plate and lips with threaded holes on opposite top edges of the bowl, said stopper having a flat, metal bar containing a straight middle portion having a threaded hole at approximately the center thereof and end portions bent upwardly and outwardly and containing holes to align with the holes in the lips to receive fastening bolts in order to lay in a plane above and substantially paralell with said middle portion and to brace under said lips; a stopping means containing a multiple layer, circular plate to fit over the drain pipe opening; and a bolt threaded into said hole in the middle portion of the bar and pivotally connected to said stopping means to force the stopping means downwardly over the drain pipe opening and to force the ends of the bar upwardly against said lips.
 2. A device as described in claim 1 in which said multiple layer, circular plate contains a bottom layer of pliable material to form a seal against the drain pipe opening, a rigid middle layer and a top metal layer of smaller diameter than the middle layer.
 3. A device as described in claim 2 in which the bolt at one end is pivotally anchored between the top and middle layers of said plate. 